Gloomy clouds darker than beneath my bed began to cover the sun. Droplets of rain start to poke at my face. I stare as well wondering why I didn’t see this coming. Grown ups can. Kids can’t.
“I.. I need to go home now,” Alexi anxiously exclaims.
“Alexi, wait!” I surprisingly shout out. “Don’t go. It’s just a little rain.”
“I’m sorry. I have to go. My mom will get mad at me.” Alexi picks up her pail and shovel ready to head home.
“Haven’t you ever played in the rain before,” I ask. “It’s really fun. It’s also easier to build sand castles when the sand is wet.”
Alexi pauses her retreating motion. Is my persuasion working? She looks at me still with a worried face.
“I’m sure it’s fun. But I can’t. This is a new dress and I’m not allowed to get it wet.”
I raise my eyebrow. She starts her retreat again back home.
“It was nice to meet you, Jacob. See you around.”
“Well, you know where to find me,” I tell her with a whitewashed tone.
And with that, she disappears into neighborhood.
For five minutes I stand motionless. Confused. About what happened. About what I’m thinking. About what I’m feeling.
Will I ever see her again? Why am I asking this? I meet different kids all the time here, and I’ve never wondered if I’ll see any one of them again. But why did she have to go?
“Agh!” I expressed to myself. Regardless of her leaving, this is still a very nice day for me. Said hello to a girl, and now, its raining on the playground.
With that, I jump and skip around the sand box. The rain embraces me and I stretch out my arms trying to embrace it back.
It’s a joy. A lot of joy. A little too much. I wish I could have shared this fun.
I wish I could have shared this with Alexi. Her quick getaway strikes me again.
I halt my excitement and sit back down on my favorite swing vacated now that it’s raining. I exhale wondering once more if I’ll ever see Alexi again. As usual, I observe the surrounding while swinging.
All of the other kids have also gone home. All except for two kids taking shelter under slide. They’re playing rock-paper-scissors. I stare at them laughing at each other. Good for them.
I look the other way. Towards the path were Alexi had disappeared into going home. At the end of the path are houses. Good families live there. All with clean lawns. All with nice curtains.
One of the house’s curtains are swaying open. I stare to find out why. I’m a kid. I’m always curious.
A head peaks through. I can’t quite make out the face clearly because of the rain.
But it’s a girl. I can tell because she just sat along the ledge of the window. She’s wearing a beautiful green dress…
End Chapter 3.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Sandbox CHAPTER 2
She smiled at me. I thought there was not a greater sight to see than the twinkle in her eyes. And then she smiled. I felt as if I was zoomed 25 years ahead. At that moment, I felt all grown up.
Say something, Jacob. Brain freeze! For me it means when your brain can’t think of anything to say. Your brain freezes!
“I thought you wanted to say hello,” she tells me.
“Umm…hello,” I utter. “My name is Jacob. What’s yours?”
“My mom tells me not to talk to strangers. Especially give out my name,” she
replies.
I give her a puzzled look. She thinks she’s smart and she probably is. But maybe I can be smarter.
“But I’m not a stranger. I’m a child,” I tell her with a smirk. Take that smart Alec!
“Alexi!” She blurts out.
I get startled. I jump a bit backwards. Holy Cow! This girl can read minds!
“My name is Alexi,” she reiterates
My blood pressure goes back to normal. 180/120. It’s the normal blood pressure of a boy talking to a pretty girl.
“Nice to meet you, Alexi. But why are you playing here all alone?”
“Well,” She starts. “You obviously hog the swing. And merry-go-rounds make me sick. The kids there on the slide, they tease me. They don’t want me to go near them.”
I never wanted to punch so many kids in my entire life. “Why,” I ask. “It’s not like you’re sick with the cooties or anything are you?”
Alexi looks down. She notices that the sand seems darker now. She looks up to the sky. The twinkle in her eye reappears.
“Uh oh…” she says.
END of Chapter 2.
Photo by Sheila Asuncion
Say something, Jacob. Brain freeze! For me it means when your brain can’t think of anything to say. Your brain freezes!
“I thought you wanted to say hello,” she tells me.
“Umm…hello,” I utter. “My name is Jacob. What’s yours?”
“My mom tells me not to talk to strangers. Especially give out my name,” she
replies.I give her a puzzled look. She thinks she’s smart and she probably is. But maybe I can be smarter.
“But I’m not a stranger. I’m a child,” I tell her with a smirk. Take that smart Alec!
“Alexi!” She blurts out.
I get startled. I jump a bit backwards. Holy Cow! This girl can read minds!
“My name is Alexi,” she reiterates
My blood pressure goes back to normal. 180/120. It’s the normal blood pressure of a boy talking to a pretty girl.
“Nice to meet you, Alexi. But why are you playing here all alone?”
“Well,” She starts. “You obviously hog the swing. And merry-go-rounds make me sick. The kids there on the slide, they tease me. They don’t want me to go near them.”
I never wanted to punch so many kids in my entire life. “Why,” I ask. “It’s not like you’re sick with the cooties or anything are you?”
Alexi looks down. She notices that the sand seems darker now. She looks up to the sky. The twinkle in her eye reappears.
“Uh oh…” she says.
END of Chapter 2.
Photo by Sheila Asuncion
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Sandbox
Swish! Forward and up! Backward and down! This is my favorite playground. This is my favorite swing. No one can sit on it but me.
It’s 1pm. There’s no more school today. I’m in nursery school therefore it ends early.
So here I am on my swing centered at the heart of the sand box. As long as I sit on it, I own it. As I swing back and forth, I examine what’s around me.
To my very left is the slide. A hybrid one. With ropes, bridges and ladders connecting to it. There are a lot of other kids playing there. Some of them jump from the top. I guess it doesn’t hurt. Besides, they land on the sand. This sandbox has one of the softest sands in the whole entire universe.
My eyes check to the left corner. There’s something bothering me there. Over there. At the corner. It's empty except for the sand and one lonely little girl who is wearing a very pleasant green dress. It looks good on her with her long brown hair. But the sparkle is bothering me. I guess it’s the reflection of the sun on the golden sand.
To the right of me is the merry-go-round. I stare at it briefly. Just the sight of it spinning makes me spin as well.
In front of me is a long line of kids with their arms folded waiting for me to get off. I never knew kids have patience. I’ve been on this swing since the beginning of time. I always make sure to get here first so I get to sit on the swing right away and don’t leave until all the kids go home. This is my swing. I own it. No one can sit here but me. Everyday it’s the same old story.
The kids stare at me. I look away. To the left corner. For some reason, my eyes have been looking that way spontaneously every now and then.
There goes that sparkle again. Stupid sun reflecting on the sand!
Wait a second. It’s not the sand. That sparkle. My eyes. That sparkle. It’s coming from that girl’s amazingly pretty brown eyes. I’m wrong then. It’s not a sparkle. It’s a twinkle.
...
Whoa! What happened?
All of a sudden, I am standing right in front of the twinkle.
I look back. The kids race to the abandoned swing. I look forward again to the girl. I mean the twinkle. My eyes are acting weird towards it I tell you.
The twinkle speaks. I mean the girl speaks. “I’ve been playing here all noon. You were holding tight to that swing. Why did you get off of it?”
The twinkle doesn’t bother me anymore. I stare right back. And I answer, “I wanted to say ‘hello.’”
END of Chapter 1.
It’s 1pm. There’s no more school today. I’m in nursery school therefore it ends early.
So here I am on my swing centered at the heart of the sand box. As long as I sit on it, I own it. As I swing back and forth, I examine what’s around me.
To my very left is the slide. A hybrid one. With ropes, bridges and ladders connecting to it. There are a lot of other kids playing there. Some of them jump from the top. I guess it doesn’t hurt. Besides, they land on the sand. This sandbox has one of the softest sands in the whole entire universe.
My eyes check to the left corner. There’s something bothering me there. Over there. At the corner. It's empty except for the sand and one lonely little girl who is wearing a very pleasant green dress. It looks good on her with her long brown hair. But the sparkle is bothering me. I guess it’s the reflection of the sun on the golden sand.
To the right of me is the merry-go-round. I stare at it briefly. Just the sight of it spinning makes me spin as well.
In front of me is a long line of kids with their arms folded waiting for me to get off. I never knew kids have patience. I’ve been on this swing since the beginning of time. I always make sure to get here first so I get to sit on the swing right away and don’t leave until all the kids go home. This is my swing. I own it. No one can sit here but me. Everyday it’s the same old story.
The kids stare at me. I look away. To the left corner. For some reason, my eyes have been looking that way spontaneously every now and then.
There goes that sparkle again. Stupid sun reflecting on the sand!
Wait a second. It’s not the sand. That sparkle. My eyes. That sparkle. It’s coming from that girl’s amazingly pretty brown eyes. I’m wrong then. It’s not a sparkle. It’s a twinkle.
...
Whoa! What happened?
All of a sudden, I am standing right in front of the twinkle.
I look back. The kids race to the abandoned swing. I look forward again to the girl. I mean the twinkle. My eyes are acting weird towards it I tell you.
The twinkle speaks. I mean the girl speaks. “I’ve been playing here all noon. You were holding tight to that swing. Why did you get off of it?”
The twinkle doesn’t bother me anymore. I stare right back. And I answer, “I wanted to say ‘hello.’”
END of Chapter 1.
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